Foldable and adjustable gambrel



Jan. 15, 1952 w. H. FERGUSON FOLDABLE AND ADJUSTABLE GAMBREL Filed NOV. 8, 1949 ATTORNEYfi Patented Jan. 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,532,322 FOLDABLE AND AbJUsrABLE GAMBREL Walker H. Ferguson, Mldridge, Mo. Application November 8, 1949, Serial No. 126,226

1 Claim. (01. 294-79) This invention relates to gambrels for supporting animal carcasses, such as beef, veal, lamb and pork carcasses, for dressing, and more particularly to a foldable and adjustable gambrel.

It is among the objects of the invention to' provide an improved gambrel which can be easily folded to a compact condition for storage and transportation and readily unfolded for use and can be adjusted as to length to properly suspend animal carcasses of differentshapes and sizes, which is of simple and durable construction involving a minimum number of simple parts, and which is economical to manufacture, easy to use and convenient to handle or store.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following'description and the appended claim in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gambrel illustrative of the invention, a portion being broken away and shown in cross section to better illustrate the construction thereof;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the gambrel illustrated in Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross section of a fragmentary portion of the gambrel taken on the line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing the gambrel in folded condition.

With continued reference to the drawing,tthe improved gambrel comprises, in general, an elongated flat beam I0, two arms H and I2 pivotally secured to the beam ID at respectively opposite ends of the latter, and an eye I3 secured to the beam ID at the mid-length location of the latter and projecting from one side of the beam "for attachment to a support, such as the chain, for suspending the gambrel and an animal carcass carried thereby.

The beam ID has two elongated ribs I5 and. I6 extending outwardly from that surface whichjis normally the top surface of the beam. These ribs have a length less than one-half the length of the beam and extend longitudinally of'fthe beam substantially in longitudinal alignment with each other and with the longitudinal center line of the beam. They are symmetrically spaced at respectively opposite sides of the'eye I3, and have their inner ends spaced somewhat inwardly from the corresponding ends of ,the beam II]. Each rib is provided with two or Inpre spaced apart apertures extending transversely therethrough as indicated at H and I8 in Fig ure 3.

The arm II is an elongated member having a flat under surface normally adjacent the flat upper surface of the beam I0, and has at one end an upwardly extending projection I9 which constitutes a hook at such one end of the arm for engagement under the heel tendon of an animal carcass. At its opposite end the arm is bifurcated to provide a longitudinally extending slot 29 in which the rib I5 is received, as is clearly illustrated in Figure 2. The arm I I is provided in the bifurcated portion thereof and near the end of such portion with a transversely extending aperture 2 I, and a pin 22 extends through this aperture in the arm and through a selected one of the apertures in the rib I5 to pivotally connect the arm II to the beam II).

By selecting different apertures in the rib I5, the arm may be located at dilferent' distances from the eye I3 or the mid-length location of the beam, both of the arms I I and I2 being thus adjustable relative to the beam I0 to increase or decrease the length of the gambrel.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, it will be observed that the arm II, when in its operative position, extends outwardly of the adjacent end of the beam I0 and that the flat upper surface of the beam underlies the flat bottom surface of the arm and supports the arm in such extended condition, so that the weight of an animal carcass can be supported from the hook end of the arm. When it is desired to transport or store the gambrel the arm II is turned upwardly about the pivot pin 22, and then downwardly to the position illustrated in Figure 4, in which it is disposed entirely inward of the adjacent end of the beam Ill and rests upon the flat upper surface of the beam.

The arm I2 is similar in all respects to the arm II, and has at one end an upstanding projection 23 constituting a hook at this end of the arm,

and having at its opposite end a bifurcated formation providing a longitudinally extending slot 24 which receives the rib I6. The rib I6 is provided with spaced apart, transversely extending apertures corresponding to the apertures I! and I8 01 the rib I5, and the arm I2 is provided near the outer end of its bifurcated portion with a transversely extending aperture 25. A pivot pin 26 is inserted through the aperture 25 in the arm I2 and through a. selected aperture in the rib I6 to pivotally connect the arm I2 to the beam II) in adjusted position longitudinally of the beam. The arm I2 is movable about the pin 26 between its extended position, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, and its folded position in the same manner as the arm II is movable about the pivot pin 22.

Both arms II and I2 may be folded inwardly to shorten the length of the gambrel for convenient transportation or storage, and both arms can be quickly swung outwardly to their operative position for use. The length of the gambrel can be adjusted to the size and shape of the carcass to be suspended by removing the pins 22 and 26 and moving the arms II and I2 longitudinally of the beam l until the desired length is obtained, and then reinserting the pins through the apertures in the arms and through registering apertures in the ribs I5 and Hi.

The invention'may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claim are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

A foldable and adjustable gambrel comprising a fiat intermediate beam, ribs on the top side of said beam shorter than said beam, one each of said ribs extending longitudinally of the latter at locations symmetrically spaced at opposite sides of the mid-length location of the beam, said ribs being disposed substantially in longitudinal alignment with each other and each having spaced apart apertures extending transversely therethrough, an eye secured to said beam at the mid-length location of the latter for suspending the gambrel, and two arms pivotally attached to said beam at the respectively opposite ends of the latter, each of said arms having at one end a hook and at its opposite end a bifurcated formation receiving the corresponding rib on said beam and provided with a transverse aperture, and pins extending respectively through the apertures in the bifurcated portions of said arms and through selected apertures in the corresponding ribs to pivotally connect said arms to said beam, said beam underlying said arms to support the latter in position in which they extend outwardly of the ends of said beam.

WALKER H. FERGUSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

